News Releases

News Release - Manitoba

January 26, 2017

PROVINCE COMMITS TO ADDRESSING OUTDATED STANDARDS IN REGULATIONS AS PART OF RED TAPE AWARENESS WEEK

The Manitoba government announced it will address outdated references to standards in regulations as part of Red Tape Awareness Week, Growth, Enterprise and Trade Minister Cliff Cullen announced today.

“Outdated references to standards that no longer meet their intended purpose deny industries the ability to achieve their full economic potential,” said Cullen. “Recent data confirms there are a high proportion of outdated standards referenced in Manitoba regulations. As a government, we are committed to addressing those references in order to unleash the economic opportunities that will help make Manitoba the most improved province in Canada.”

The minister noted standards help Manitoba businesses compete across Canada and around the world by reducing compliance costs, cutting red tape and speeding up time to market, which boosts opportunities for growth and innovation. Standards also provide efficient options to protect the health, safety and security of the public and environment by ensuring regulations reflect the latest scientific advancements as standards are regularly updated.

In a groundbreaking project, the Standards Council of Canada (SCC) analyzed Manitoba’s regulations and found 291 references to standards. Of these, 177 (61 per cent) were outdated and 53 were inaccurately cited.

“The Standards Council of Canada supports the government of Manitoba’s efforts to identify and update standards referenced in its regulations,” said John Walter, CEO, Standards Council of Canada. “Referencing up-to-date standards in regulations fosters innovation and increases the competitiveness of industry while strengthening consumer product safety and environmental protection. SCC looks forward to continuing to work with governments to help them use standards as an effective policy tool.”

Examples of outdated standards referenced in Manitoba’s regulations include:
• Manitoba’s hearing aid regulations cite standards set in 1971 rather than the current industry standard; and
• Manitoba hasn’t updated the references to standards in regulations for factory-built homes, mobile homes and RVs since the 1970s.

“This tells us many more out-of-date and inaccurate references are likely contained in other regulatory instruments such as licenses and policies” said Cullen. “We will ensure that references to standards in Manitoba regulations and other regulatory instruments are addressed, and that they are kept up to date going forward.”

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For more information:

Public information, contact Manitoba Government Inquiry: 1-866-626-4862 or 204-945-3744.